We have before us, in John 16:33, two contrasting systems of values for operating in life: the system of the Word and the system of the world. In the Word system we find security and guarantees. In the Word system, we find promises of security in the midst of trouble.

In the world system, Jesus promises us, we will find tribulation. He promises us we will find trials. He promises us that we will find trouble.

Now you have to make a choice. You have to choose either the world system or the Word system. But you can't mingle these two systems. You can't try to operate in the Word system one day and in the world system the next and still expect to receive what the Word promises you.

So you have to make a decision whether you will operate in the Word system or in the world system. But you cannot operate in both systems, because if you do, I submit to you that you are operating in the system of hypocrites. You're a hypocrite if you don't make a decision to operate in one system or the other.

The world has a head start because your natural birth into the physical world preceded your spiritual rebirth into the kingdom of God. And from the day you were born in the natural world, you have been in preparation to operate in the world's system. You have been educated to operate in the world's system. You have achieved higher learning in operating in the world's system.

Depending on how old you are, how much experience you've had with the world and how well you've learned the lessons life in the world has taught you since you were born, you've become pretty skilled in working the world system.

The amount of success you've had in life is in proportion to how well you've learned to operate in the world system. Maybe your degree, your job, your money, and material possessions haven't brought you happiness and peace. But at least you know how to get the things the world values by operating the world system.

But then one day, you find out that you're going to live forever either in heaven or hell. Of course, you want to go to heaven, but you find out the world system in which you've been so well trained won't get you there. So you decide to find out what system to use to get to heaven.

You get born again and start reading the Bible and listening to preaching and teaching on the Word. And you discover that the Bible says in four different places, "The just shall live by faith" (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38).

When you ask what that means, you're told it means that the people who have been born again and translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light are supposed to live a lifestyle of faith.

Source: How to Trouble Your Trouble by Creflo A. Dollar, Jr.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers